question about boosting..

Hello guys just picked up my 93 vr4. it is sucking air, right where the throttle body bolts on the intake. I can put my finger on it and can tell that is where it is leaking..I tried tightening up the t.b. but no use, I am going to go to the mit.dealership and pick up a new gasket, but I was wondering will that hurt performance? and I noticed that the boost guage goes all the way up to 14lbs. when stepping on it, is that because of the t.b. leak?
and one more thing is it normal for the gearshift to move forward alittle when goosing it, like the tranny is moving alittle? I haven't had a stick for years... thanks for the help...Lonnie

yes, get a new gasket. it shouldnt HURT performance, but you def. dont wanna suck any dirt or dust or anything in to the engine...

the stock boost gauge is WAY OFF, but yes, its normal for it to go all the way up, even though you are most likely only boosting at 9psi (unless you have done the FREE BOOST MOD), it has nothing to do with the leak.

as for the shifter movement, mine does the same thing. what does it mean? dunno. maybe just from the torque, maybe we could use motor mounts. hopefully someone will enlighten us :)

Get the new gasket. it is probably that little biss ring...it's known to leak, it's a little rubber gasket that deteriorates over time. Boost leaks DO hurt performance. Small ones not so much, but realize that your turbos pressurized a closed system. When there is a leak, they are now trying to pressurize teh entire atmosphere, so they have to work harder, which wears them out quicker. FIX BOOST LEAKS.

Also, don't ever rely on the stock boost gauge. It doesn't measure boost, it measures throttle depression, and 'guesses' what the boost is. It isn't worth the plastic it's made from.

sry i misunderstood...i thought it was sucking air...not blowing it...

yea, boost leaks will hurt performance by decreasing the PSI going to the plenum...

unfortunately, mitsubishi will not just sell your the gasket, they will only sell you the entire y-pipe. Other options include trying a t-bolt clamp and see if that works, if that doesnt work, then try using a reinforced silicon coupler and clamp it down tight and that should take care of it. Before spending money for a new OEM y-pipe, you might as well get an aftermarket polished one.

Yeah a boost leak will hurt performance, you won't boost as high as you should. Your year car should boost around 8lbs, do a quick free boost mod and get it up to 12 then fork over 10 bucks for an MBC and push it to 14lbs

Also the stock gauge sucks because it doesn't actually read vacuum/pressure, it just calculates what it "should" be.

thanks for the replies guys, it is not leaking at the y-pipe where it goes into the t.b. it is leaking between the t.b. and manifold. I ordered a t.b. gasket for only 3.50 from mitsubushi!!..yeah it is blowing air not sucking...thanks for all the help...I am ready to get my 1100.00 vr4 on the road...already had a couple of guys in town offer me 4,000.00 for it, but I think I am going to have fun with it first..:grinyes:

Yeah a boost leak will hurt performance, you won't boost as high as you should. Your year car should boost around 8lbs, do a quick free boost mod and get it up to 12 then fork over 10 bucks for an MBC and push it to 14lbs

Also the stock gauge sucks because it doesn't actually read vacuum/pressure, it just calculates what it "should" be.

whats an MBC? and also, you guys know of an aftermarket boost gauge that fits where the stock one is?

mbc = manual boost controller. There are plenty of gauges that will fit in the stock location, but it's a bitch to get them in there. You have to remove the dash, which is really a PITA. Better to get an A-pillar pod IMO. Read the FAQ.